Depth sounder recorders



Nov. 26, 1957 R. A. FRYKLUND DEPTH SOUNDER RECORDERS Original Filpd Oct.6, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOQ ROBERTA. FRY/ 4 UND BY M A TO NEV Nov.26, 1957 R. A. FRYKLUND 2,814,548

' DEPTH SOUNDER RECORDERS Original Filed Oct. 6, 1949 2 Shets-Sheet 2INVENTOR ROBERT A. FRYK L UND A T TORNEY DEPTH SOUNDER RECORDERS RobertA. Fryklund, Dedham, Mass, assignor to Raytheon Manufacturing Company,Newton, Mass, a corporation of Delaware Original application October 6,1949, Serial No. 119,905,

now Patent No. 2,715,055, dated August 9, 1955. Digild7egzzgnd thisapplication October 28, 1952, Serial No.

3 Claims. (Cl. 346-139) This application is a division of my applicationSerial No. 119,905, filed October 6, 1949, and now Patent No. 2,715,055.

This invention relates to record making mechanisms for depth soundingdevices of the pulse-echo type, and is particularly concerned withimproved, compact, and inexpensive mechanisms which can be housed in acommon container with electronic transmitter and receiver amplifierelements. The recorder of the invention is of the type employing arecord making medium in sheet form having two layers, one of which iselectrically conductive and one of which is electrically nonconductive,the medium being marked upon by means of an electrically conductivestylus in contact with the nonconductive layer and suitable electricalpotential applied between the stylus and the conductive layer. Thestylus is borne on an endless belt which is so disposed with relation toa platen bearing the medium that the stylus makes repeated traverses ofthe medium when pulley wheels supporting the belt are rotated.

In accordance with the present invention, a pair of pulleys, mounted onthe platen, bears a lightweight, cable-type endless belt, which in turnbears one or more styluses in an improved manner such that each traverseof a stylus across the paper is in an accurately controlledstraight-line path, without a sidewise wobble, or variation in pressureupon the medium. Adjustment and assembly of these parts are simplifiedto an unexpected degree. Keying of the transmitter is effected by thesame belt, the adjustment of the zero position being effected in a novelfashion which also is greatly simplified and accurate.

The foregoing and numerous other features and advantages of theinvention will appear from the following detailed description of anembodiment thereof, reference being made to the accompanying drawingswherein:

Fig. 1 is an isometric view showing the recorder with parts open, as forservicing or inspection;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the recorder of Fig. 1 with the cover removedand the platen partly open;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top quarter view of the marking and switchingassembly;

Fig. 4 is a bottom quarter view of Pig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a side view partly in section of the assembled belt mechanism;and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view illustrating a feature of the beltassembly.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, the recorder is housed in a case whichis in two parts comprising a base it} and a cover 11. The base 10 ispreferably. made of a rigid material, such as cast aluminum, and hassides which are sufficiently high to provide a substantial volumetherein, for the purpose to be described. A partition 12, which ispreferably cast integrally with the base 10, divides the base volumeinto a major part 13 and a minor part 14. A cover 15 covers the majorvolume 13 and furnishes a support for electronic components. Thus, along2,814,548 Patented Nov. 26, 1957 ice the bottom portion of the cover 15,as seen in Fig. 1, there are tube sockets 16 and containers 17 and 18,which may house condensers and the like, comprising the transmittingequipment of the complete depth sounding system. A portion of the loweredge of the cover 15 is cut away to provide access to terminals 20 forthe connection of various electrical cables 21 and 22, for example, usedin assembling the system. At the upper edge of the cover 15, as seen inFig. 1, are found tube sockets 24 and tuning transformers 25 of thereceiving and amplifying circuit of the system. In addition to theforegoing, many electrical components, such as resistors, capacitors andinductors, which do not appear in Fig. 1, are mounted on the undersideof the cover 15 and housed in the major volume 13. As will appear belowthe minor volume 14 is employed to house a portion of the record makingmechanism.

At the lefthand edge of the base 10 are two hinges Z8 and 29 which arerigidly attached thereto. A platen 30 is mounted to the base 10 by meansof these hinges. The platen 30 comprises a sheet of electricallyconductive material, such as iron or steel, which provides a planarsurface 31 and top and bottom flanges 33 and 34, disposed rectangularlythereto. A supply roll 35, which furnishes record medium 38, is mountedbetween the top and bottom flanges 33 and 34, beneath the plane portion31 near the right-hand edge thereof. This roll is free turning, exceptfor a friction spring 36, mounted to the underside of the plane member31 which engages the supply of record medium 38 and prevents the rollfrom spinning freely. A take-up roll 40 is mounted between the flanges33 and 34 intermediate the right and lefthand edges of the plane portion31. A drive roll 42 is mounted between the flanges 33 and 34 at thelefthand edge of the plane portion 31, and driven by a small motor 43which is mounted on the underside of the lower flange 34. The axis ofrotation of the drive roll 42 is the hinge axis of the platen, andextensions 44 and 45 of this axis are journaled in the hinges 28 and 29,respectively, to support the platen 30 from the base 10. A record makingassembly 39, which includes stylus and switch devices as will beexplained below, is mounted at the righthand end of the platen 36. Forthis purpose the top and bottom flanges 33 and 34 are continued beyondthe plane portion 31 of the platen and bent downwardly and upwardly toprovide rectangularly disposed ends 54 and 55, respectively. The recordmaking assembly 35 lies generally in a plane which is perpendicular tothat of the plane portion 31 of the platen, and reposes at least in partin the minor volume 14 of the base 18' when the platen assembly 30 isclosed. In the closed position a projection 57 on the upper flange 33engages a spring catch 58 which is mounted on the cover 15, and henceaffixed to the base 10, and is thereby locked.

The cover 11 of the recorder case is hingedly attached to the lowerforward horizontal edge of the base 10, as seen in Fig. 1. The cover 11need not be made of rigid material, but can be drawn from one sheet ofaluminum, for example. However, it is preferred to employ a piano hinge48 to attach the cover to the base, in order to provide rigidity to thecover. A rubber gasket 49 is affixed to the side and top edges of thecover and latches 59 of the suitcase type hold the cover closed tightlyagainst the base with the gasket in compression, thereby furnishing asplash-proof enclosure for the recorder mechanism and electronic parts.A window 51 is provided in the cover 11, through which the record medium38 may e viewed when the cover is closed. This window is supported in arubber mounting grommet 53 which relieves the window of shocks which maybe incident upon the cover 11. The cover 11 also bears an assembly ofswitches, generally designated at 52, for controlling the variousfunctions of the system.

Referring now to Figs. 3 through 6, inclusive, the stylus and switchassembly consists of a metallic sheet such as stainless steel, which isformed into a bracket 14% having a base or bottom portion 141 and arectangularly disposed side portion 142. The bottom portion 141 isprovided with two holes 143 and 144, seen in Figs. 4 and 5. The cable 75is a multistrand metallic cable, of any suitable material, and, as shownin Fig. 5 is provided with two stylus and switch assemblies 76, althoughit might be constructed with one such assembly if desired. The cable isattached to the bottom portion 141 of the bracket 14!) by inserting thefree ends 145 and 146 into the holes 143 and 144, respectively, andbending them back to form U-shaped ends of Which the bights confronteach other. The cable in this position is preferably treated with asolder which binds the strands together at the bights in order that thestrain upon the strands may be uniformly distributed. The U-shaped endsof the cable are not, however, soldered to the material of the bracket140, but rather cooperate therewith in the manner of links of a chain.The material of the bottom portion 141 intermediate the holes 143 and144 is struck outwardly at 147 so that it rests between the legs of theU-shaped ends of the cable which continue on into the main body of thecable. This bent-out portion 147 prevents the cable ends from becomingdisengaged from the base portion 141, and at the same time permits freechain-like action. It is the bottom or base portion 141 of the stylusand switch assembly which slides on the platform 135 of the foundationmember 78, while the cable 75 and struck out portion 147 move in thegroove 136. In order to provide that the bottom portion 141 will bemaintained in contact with the platform 135, the platform 1.35 iselevated above the plane which contains a line which is tangent to bothpulleys 73 and 74; that is, the plane of the platform 135 is furtheraway from a line joining the centers of the two pulleys than the planecontaining a line which is tangent to the two pulleys. For this purposethe ends of the platform 135 are sloped slightly at 150. Thisarrangement provides also for the possibility that the stylus and switchassembly, in its circular flight around the pulleys, will tend to flyoff the pulleys by centrifugal force. If it is attempted to urge thestylus and switch assembly to follow a line which is tangent to the twopulleys in its passage between the two pulleys, it is necessary toovercome this centrifugal tendency, which would introduce a variation inpressure of the stylus and switch assembly upon the platform 135. Thisin turn causes uneven recording. In the present invention, the stylusand switch assembly is permitted a suflicient degree of centrifugalfreedom to overcome this defect. Another advantage of the structure thusfar described is that, by virtue of the closeness of the holes 143 and144 and the chain-like construction employed in assembling the cable tothe base 141, the stylus and switch assembly moves around the pulleys 73and 74 without tending to lift the cable 75 from the periphery of thepulleys, as is apparent from Fig. 6. To this end the peripheral groovesin the pulleys are preferably not greater in depth than the diameter ofthe cable 75, as deeper peripheral grooves cause the base 141 to belifted from the cable.

The base or bottom portion 141 of the bracket 140 carries a block 155 ofelectrically nonconductive material, which in the present embodiment is,for reasons that will appear, preferably nylon or the like. The block155 is rectangular in plan and is provided with indented portions 156and 157 at its ends. The base portion 141 is provided with extensions158 and 159 which are bent up and over block 155 to repose in theindented portions 156 and 157, respectively, and thereby clamp the blockfirmly to the base. The upper surface of the block 155 is humpedintermediate the ends thereof, having a long sloping surface 161 and asurface of shorter slope 162.

At the top of the hump between the sloped surfaces 161 and 162 there isembedded in the block 155 a strip of electrically conductive material163, disposed transversely to the long dimension of the block, and lyingflush with the top surface. The direction of motion of the assembly 76is as indicated by the arrow 164 in Fig. 3, the pulleys 73 and 74 beingrotated as indicated by arrows 165 in Fig. 5. The block 155 is thusmoved to bring the long sloping surface 161 in contact with switchcontacts 121 and 122 of switch when the pulley 74 is rotated. Sincenylon has lubricating properties, it is preferred for this use. Theelectrically conductive bar 163 momentarily bridges the contacts 121 and122 to close the switch 120, the instant of bridging being adjusted bymeans of a slotted aperture and a hand nut. The lugs 124 and 125 ofswitch 126 are wired to the electronic transmitter circuit, which,although not shown herein, may be of many kinds well-known to the thoseskilled in the art. Such circuits are ordinarily keyed or pulsed bymomentarily closing a pair of contacts such as contacts 121 and 122,with a shorting bar such as bar 163. As will be appreciated from Fig. 2,the switch 120 is properly disposed for adjusting the zero position ofthe record medium 38.

The stylus and switch assembly 76 carries also the marking stylus 170which marks the record medium 38. The side portion 142 of the bracket isprovided with three lugs 171, 172, and 173, which are struck out fromthe body thereof. Lugs 171 and 173 are downwardly directed and bentoutwardly while lug 172 is upwardly directed but also bent outwardly.The stylus consists of a suitable length of a relatively stiffelectrically conductive wire, such as tungsten, for example, which islooped over the intermediate lug 172 and hooked under the end or outerlugs 171 and 173. This simple arrangement bends the stylus wire againstits own desire to remain straight and firmly holds the stylus 170 inplace and at the proper angle for establishing a sliding contact withthe record medium 38. This stylus mounting structure is claimed inapplication Serial No. 121,209, filed October 13, 1949, now Patent No.2,627,448. As will be appreciated from Fig. 3, in particular, the angleof the stylus 170 is such that the stylus may be easily drawn across therecord medium 38 in the manner of a pencil sloping at the proper anglefor smooth writing on paper without tearing the paper. The length of thestylus 170 is readily adjustable by the simple expedient of sliding thestylus in its holder, lugs 171, 172, and 173.

The deflection of the stylus 170 from its normal path by the straightedge 175 does not pull the stylus and switch assembly 76 laterally outof its normal path for the reason that the groove 136 holds the belt 175and projection 147 against such lateral motion. Nor does this deflectionof the stylus cause the stylus and switch assembly to wobble on theplatform 135 for, as has already been explained, this platform is soplaced that the assembly 76 is held tightly to the platform by thetension on the cable 75. This tension can be adjusted with the hand nut104 co operating with the slotted aperture 103 in the foundation member78. This tension also provides that the stylus and switch assembly 76will cause the stylus to bear uniformly on the record medium 38 as ittravels across it, thereby assuring that the density of the markings 178is uniform as far as the pressure of the stylus is concerned.

As the lower pulley 74 is rotated, the stylus makes repeated andsomewhat rapid traverses of the record medium 38. However, each suchtraverse brings the stylus first in contact with the nose piece 70 ofthe platen 30. The pulleys 73 and 74 are made of an electricallyconductive material, and the cable 75 is likewise electricallyconductive. Signals from the receiver are applied to the upper pulley 73via lug 114 and the brush 110, proceeding thence via the cable 75 of thebracket 140 to the stylus 170. The platen 30 is the other terminal asfar as the signal voltage is concerned, and the electrically conductivelayer of the record medium 38 rests on the plane portion 31 thereof.Thus the signal voltage is applied across the electrically nonconductivelayer of the record medium 38 between the stylus 170 and the planeportion 31 of the platen. If the nose piece 70 of the platen iselectrically conductive and a signal voltage appears between the stylusand the platen at the instant the stylus comes in contact with the nosepiece and prior to the instant at which it arrives on the record medium38, it is possible that the tip end of the stylus will become welded tothe platen and thereby either pull the stylus from its holder entirelyor displace it in the holder. The position of the stylus in the holdermust, of course, be determined with care so that the markings 178 willprovide an ac curate measure of distance or depth. The provision of anelectrically nonconductive nose piece 70 prevents such welding, orindeed any sparking which tends to injure the stylus. The electricallyconductive layer which is part of the record medium 38 is sufiicientlyconductive to provide an electrical extension of the platen to the pointof contact with the stylus.

It will be appreciated that many variations of the features shown anddescribed herein in connection with the single embodiment of theinvention illustrated will occur to those who are skilled in the art towhich the invention relates. It is, therefore, intended that the claimswhich follow shall not be limited by the particular details of theillustrated embodiment but rather by the prior art.

What is claimed is:

1. In recorder apparatus of the kind comprising pulley wheels and anendless belt or the like engaging said wheels and carrying a recordingstylus, a multistrand cable engaging said wheels, a stylus carrierhaving a pair of closely adjacent holes, the ends of said cable beinglinked one in each of said holes and bent back over the carrier materialso that the free ends are oppositely directed and the bights confronteach other, the material of said carrier between said holes beingdeflected away from said free ends and toward the main body of the cableto lie substantially in the line of said main body, the distance betweensaid holes being such with relation to the size of said wheels that saidcarrier moves over said wheels without substantially lifting said cablefrom the wheels.

2. In recorder apparatus of the kind comprising pulley wheels and anendless belt or the like engaging said wheels and carrying a recordingstylus, a multistrand cable engaging said wheels, a stylus carrierhaving a pair of closely adjacent holes, the ends of said cable beinglinked one in each of said holes and bent back over the carrier materialso that the free ends are oppositely directed and the bights confronteach other, the material between said holes being deflected away fromsaid free ends and toward the main body of the cable to liesubstantially in the line of said main body, and means solidly bondingthe strands of said cable to each other in the carrier engaging regionsof the ends thereof.

3. In recorder apparatus of the kind comprising pulley wheels and anendless belt or the like engaging said wheels and carrying a recordingstylus, a cable engaging said wheels, a flat member having a pair ofclosely adjacent holes, the ends of said cable being linked one in eachof said holes with said cable lying on one side of said member, a blockof electrically insulating material, means supporting said block at theother side of said member, a strip of electrically conductive materialmounted in said block, and stylus carrying means mounted atone edge ofsaid flat member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,452,122 McConnell Apr. 17, 1923 2,008,970 Spitzglass July 23, 19352,464,970 Finch Mar. 22, 1949 2,520,918 Elarde Sept. 5, 1950 2,627,448Horton Feb. 3, 1953 2,633,405 Nelson Mar. 31, 1953

